Three Razorbacks Who Must Return Next Year to Build on Sweet 16 Run

Clock ticking for John Calipari as Arkansas tries to keep core together heading into next season.

Arkansas Razorbacks head coach John Calipari talks to a referee against the Arizona Wildcats in the first half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the West Regional of the NCAA Tournament at SAP Center. | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

The final buzzer sounded on Arkansas's season last Thursday in the Sweet 16 starting the offseason grind almost immediately.

John Calipari and his staff are already deep into conversations about next year's roster, and one truth has quickly become clear. If the Razorbacks want to build on their NCAA Tournament run, they've got to keep the right pieces in Fayetteville.

The transfer portal window doesn't officially open until April 7, the day after the national championship game.

It'll close just 15 days later on April 21. That's a tight sprint compared to the marathon-style windows of previous years when the portal opened before the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament and stayed open for a month to 45 days.

The shorter window means Calipari's most urgent work isn't recruiting — it's retention.

"Normally, when a season ends for me, I'm out of town and we could do stuff by Zoom," Calipari said after the Sweet 16 loss. "You can't do that right now.

"Now, you've got to figure out your own team. What does it look like? Who wants to come back? Who's putting their name in the draft? How serious is that if they put their name in the draft? You've got to go through all that."

Calipari mentioned at the time that no formal retention conversations had taken place yet because the staff had been focused on the tournament run, though some informal talks had already happened.

Affordability is also probably going to come into play during the whole process. The Razorbacks, somewhat surprisingly, might have a ceiling on what they can afford.

With player costs rising, that's going to factor into things sooner or later. Those conversations are now happening in full force as Arkansas tries to get a clear picture of its 2026-27 roster before the portal opens.

The good news? The Hogs already have a loaded incoming freshman class.

Consensus 5-star guard and Gatorade National Player of the Year Jordan Smith Jr. is headed to Fayetteville, along with 5-star wing and Arkansas Gatorade Player of the Year JJ Andrews and consensus 4-star wing and Gatorade Connecticut Player of the Year Abdou Toure.

That's a strong foundation, but it doesn't make keeping some key players from this year any less important.

Here are the three players Arkansas can't afford to lose.

DJ Wagner Must Embrace Bigger Role

The most significant retention decision may belong to DJ Wagner, and the early signs are encouraging for Razorbacks fans.

Wagner is expected to announce his return to Arkansas relatively quickly, and if he does, he's not coming back to a reduced role.

Wagner is expected to take on more of an on-ball role next season now that he won't be playing alongside Darius Acuff Jr.

Acuff is almost certainly heading to the NBA Draft, which means the backcourt dynamic in Fayetteville is going to look different in 2026-27.

Smith will have plenty of opportunities to run the show as a freshman, but Wagner is expected to have the ball in his hands more than he did this past season.

That's a strong selling point for a player who's developed throughout his time in the program.

Wagner's return would give Calipari an experienced floor general alongside a highly-rated freshman — a combination that worked well this past year with the three-freshman approach Calipari used alongside proven returners.

Getting Wagner back early would give the staff clarity and momentum heading into the portal window.

Arkansas Razorbacks wing Isaiah Sealy driving against the Southern Jaguars in a game at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark. | Arkansas Communications

Isaiah Sealy's Continued Growth Is Essential

Isaiah Sealy figures to get his decision made quickly as well, and the expectation is that he's coming back to Fayetteville.

Sealy's role next season should look similar to what it was this year, but with one important adjustment: he'll have more opportunities to work his way into the main rotation throughout the offseason.

That kind of developmental trajectory matters for a program trying to build depth and continuity.

Sealy has been one of the young players Calipari has leaned on in his early tenure at Arkansas, and getting him back as part of the foundation makes sense.

His familiarity with the system and his comfort playing alongside new faces will be valuable when Smith, Andrews and Toure arrive on campus.

Sealy's situation is straightforward compared to some of the others, which is why it could be resolved sooner rather than later.

Arkansas needs players who can bridge the gap between its talented freshmen and the experienced upperclassmen, and Sealy is exactly that kind of player.

Arkansas Razorbacks Billy Richmond during game against the Jackson State Tigers at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark. | Nilsen Roman-allHOGS Images

Billy Richmond's NBA Decision

Billy Richmond's situation is the most layered of the three, but the current thought is he'll be back in Fayetteville for another season.

He's likely going to get his NBA feedback first before making anything official. Two separate sources indicated there's at least a chance he goes through the full pre-draft process, similar to what Karter Knox did last year.

Knox entered the process, gathered feedback from NBA teams and ultimately returned to Arkansas.

The expectation right now is that Richmond takes a similar path. He'll go through the process to understand where he stands and then make his decision with real information in hand.

The current read is that he'd return regardless of what he hears, but it won't be a quick announcement.

That dynamic makes Richmond's situation the most important to monitor over the next few weeks. He's a starter-caliber wing who brings scoring punch and experience.

If he comes back, the Hogs have a returning core to build around alongside three elite freshmen. If he doesn't, Arkansas is looking at a much more significant rebuild through the portal than currently anticipated.

Arkansas Razirbacks forward Meleek Thomas down load against the Jackson State Tigers at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark. | Nilsen Roman-allHOGS Images

Rest of Picture

Beyond those three, there are other roster questions swirling around the Hogs.

Meleek Thomas is likely headed to the NBA Draft, though there's a chance he returns if his feedback isn't at a certain level. If he doesn't come back, sources indicate the Hogs will be searching for a shooter to replace him.

Knox's situation is more uncertain. There's a split in opinion — some believe he'll definitely be back while others think he could end up as the odd man out because of a logjam at the wing position.

Both sides want Knox back, but balancing finances and other roster needs could push things in a different direction.

On the frontcourt side, Malique Ewin could return for one more season, but he needs a waiver to do so.

The Razorbacks are eager to bring him back after his strong finish to the season. Even with Ewin potentially returning, Arkansas is expected to add at least one starting-caliber center and a versatile four-man through the transfer portal.

At least one source said the Hogs will be patient in the portal, but will be a major player when it comes to landing a top-end center this cycle.

The portal sprint starts April 7.

Between now and then, what happens in Fayetteville with Wagner, Sealy and Richmond could define the entire 2026-27 season before a single game is played.